How to foster a child in wisconsin

Wisconsin Foster Care and Adoption – AdoptUSKids

We are here to help provide the information you need to start your foster care or adoption process. We are happy to answer any questions.

On this page:

• State contact information
• Foster care and adoption licensing requirements
• Costs to foster and adopt
• Agency contact and orientation information
• Post-adoption support services
• Information on Wisconsin's children
• Additional resources

State contact information

Coalition for Children, Youth and Families

Our mission is to ensure that all children in Wisconsin find permanent and stable families. We are here to offer assistance, support, and guidance, with the intention of making sure we find families for children who need them and keeping those families as strong and stable as they can be.

To learn more about foster care and adoption in Wisconsin, please use the contact information below.

Phone (teléfono): 414-475-1246
Toll-free phone: 800-762-8063
Website: coalitionforcyf.org/

Email (correo electrónico): [email protected]

Foster care and adoption

In general, foster and adoptive parents must be in good physical and mental health. They must also be able to raise the child in a safe, caring environment.

The following are some of the characteristics necessary to be a good foster or adoptive parent:

• Stability
• Maturity
• Commitment
• Patience
• Dependability
• Flexibility
• Sense of humor
• Enjoys children and is an advocate for them
• Team player willing to work with your social worker, the birth parents, as needed, and community services

Minimum qualifications include:

• Are at least 21 years old
• Are single or married or divorced
• Already have children in your home or no children in the home
• Are of any race
• Have sufficient income to cover your financial needs
• Own or rent your home or apartment
• Have enough room for the child
• Complete proper training requirements
• Pass criminal background checks

If you meet these basic qualifications then you’re off to a great start!

Costs to foster and adopt

There are no costs to foster and adopt in Wisconsin.

Agency contact and orientation information

Wisconsin is a county run, state administered foster care system. To find out how you can get started as a foster parent in your county, visit fosterparentsrock.org, or call 800-762-8063

For more information about adoption, visit the Wisconsin Adoption website or call 800-762-8063. You can also view profiles of Wisconsin Waiting Children on their Heart Gallery page.

Post-adoption support services

See a comprehensive list of post-adoption and guardianship support services and support groups available to families who live in Wisconsin.

Information on Wisconsin's children

There are 6,918 children in foster care in Wisconsin; 1,380 of these children are waiting for adoptive families. The children in care are from all cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. The children’s average ages are frequently school-aged, 5 to14 years old. While there is a need for foster and adoptive families for children of all ages, an area of unmet need continues to be finding families for older youth and sibling groups.

Additional resources

Please visit the Coalition for Children Youth and Families website, contact them at 800-762-8063, or email [email protected] for a comprehensive calendar of special events, support group meetings, conferences and training opportunities.

Become a Foster Parent | Wisconsin Foster Care License

Every child in Wisconsin foster care deserves a safe home where they feel loved and supported. We need caring people like you to explore how to become a foster parent. Loving families with flexible schedules are needed in all corners of Wisconsin to care for kids ages 3-18 and siblings. Our compassionate, experienced staff is ready to guide you through the steps of getting a foster care license. You can be a licensed foster parent prepared to welcome a child or sibling group into your home in 3 months. The new foster parent process comprises five steps to prepare you to do your life's best work, helping kids from difficult places feel loved and accepted.  

Whatever your desire, we are committed to helping you discover if fostering is a good choice for your family. The need is great in ALL Wisconsin counties. We would love to speak with you if you meet the basic foster parent requirements. 

After reading the qualify to be a foster parent page, call or submit an inquiry below to get started. Our New Foster Parent Advisor has professional and personal foster parenting experience to help you make the best decision for your family. She will provide further details on qualifications, foster children, foster parent training, support services, etc. The call is casual, and there is no pressure to commit to fostering. 

An application can be requested after the initial phone call. Upon receipt and approval of your application, we will begin background checks and fingerprint paperwork. There is no cost to become a Wisconsin foster parent. At this time, applicants begin the required online video training. The Wisconsin foster parent pre-placement training consists of seven short videos and is an excellent introduction to Wisconsin foster care. 

Upon favorable background results, our licensing specialist will conduct Zoom interviews and in-person home visits. All interviews and visits are professional and confidential. Home visits are a great time to ask as many questions as you like. In addition, you will be guided through the legal requirements of preparing your home to welcome foster children. 

Foster Parent Training Prepared Us

All new foster parents complete 30-hours of classroom training. Unlike most Wisconsin agencies, CCR requires completion of the training BEFORE a license is issued. Our training goes well above state standards and requirements with emphasis on trauma-informed care. It is important that new foster parents have the necessary tools and feel confident to care for children with trauma histories. 

By now, you are feeling prepared and understand what kids with trauma histories require from foster parents. In addition, you have a clear understanding of why getting a foster care license takes so long. At this time, your home study will be written, and a license will be issued. You are now ready to welcome children into your family and become part of a child's healing process!  

Ready to speak with someone?

Call us: Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30 or complete the form below, and we will contact you promptly.

Connect With Us

Ready to begin or looking for more information? We promise to call you soon.

"If I hadn't been adopted, I would have lived on the street." The story of an American family that adopted a child from Kirov 18 years ago

Not so long ago, Americans Bob and Caitlin Nicole visited Kirov, from where they took a little Russian boy into their family back in 2000. 18 years later, together with their adopted son, they again visited Kirov to introduce him to the place where he was born. Specially for Svoykirovsky.rf, journalist Konstantin Ryakin met with them to record their story and tried to figure out how Russia came to the decision to ban Americans from adopting Russian children.

Diplomatic relations between Russia and America have long been a minefield. Ultimately, the fate of ordinary people is inevitably affected. So five years ago, a law came into force prohibiting American families from adopting Russian children, despite the fact that US citizens made up the majority of foreign adopters.

Towards each other

In 1999, after two years of marriage, which turned out to be too late to have children of their own, Bob and Caitlin Nicole decided to adopt a child. Bob at that time was a successful bank worker, Caitlin was a business reporter in the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and a future Pulitzer Prize winner. From adopting a child from the United States, they were stopped not so much by the time that would have to be spent waiting for a suitable baby, but by the peculiarities of the legislation - adoption in the States is almost never final. Biological parents can simply reconsider their decision, go to court and return the child. It is not always important how much time he spent in a new family.

Bob and Caitlin already had acquaintances who adopted children from Russia, so they decided to follow their path and turned to a special agency. The home stage of the procedure began: the collection of all kinds of data, documents on the financial situation and state of health, recommendations from friends, colleagues and neighbors, a lot of interviews and explanatory conversations. Obtaining permission to adopt took about a year. The couple was given information about a boy from Kirov, they agreed to take him in, flew to Moscow along with other similar families and boarded a train to Vyatka. Even now, such a flight seems unusual, but then, according to them, it all seemed something impossible.

- When we went to Red Square, I just couldn't believe it. Remember the pilot who landed on Red Square? (Mathias Rust is a German pilot who landed on Vasilevsky Spusk in 1987, saying in court that it was a “call for peace” - ed. ) You are probably too young, and I am too good I remember this story on the news. How could I even imagine that I myself would find myself in Red Square? When I was young, Russia seemed so closed, says Caitlin.

The boy also had to make his way to a new family: there was no place for him in Kirov, and he was sent from the maternity hospital to Kotelnich, a specialized institution for orphans with disorders of the central nervous system (liquidated in 2009). From there, an employee of the orphanage brought him to Kirov to meet his future parents. The boy was named Andrew.

- When I first saw Andrew, he was thirteen months old, tiny, had vision problems, no teeth at all. But despite this, he smiled very broadly, so we understood how needed he was. And they were happy about it,” recalls Caitlin.

A few days after completing the necessary paperwork, Andrew found himself in his new home near the city of Milwaukee.

A tragedy that turned into an international scandal

According to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, from 1999 to 2017, 2,380 children under the age of 18 were registered as adopted from the Kirov region. Almost half of them (1,184) were adopted by foreign citizens. However, in recent years, the share of adoptions by foreigners in Russia has been falling: from 28% in 2012 to 11% in 2015, while the total number of adoptions is inevitably declining.

For a long time, US citizens dominated among foreign adopters, but in 2013 everything changed. It was then that a law came into force prohibiting Americans from adopting children from Russia. The State Duma proposed to name him in memory of Dima Yakovlev, a Russian boy adopted by an American family and who died through the fault of his adoptive father.

In July 2008, American Miles Harrison left 18 months old Dima in the car and went to work. It was 32-degree heat outside, and, upon returning, the foster father found the child dead. According to the man, he was supposed to take Dima to kindergarten on the way, but he was in too much of a hurry to get to work and forgot about it. Harrison faced up to 10 years in prison for manslaughter, but he was acquitted - like most other parents in similar cases in the United States.

In Russia, the problem of children left in cars in parking lots is also acute: in 2015, Pavel Astakhov, Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of the Russian Federation at that time, reported that dozens of children left in a car without supervision die every year in the country. The commissioner also reported that the punishment for leaving a child in a car is not always fully appropriate for the act, and sometimes parents can get away with just a fine.

The story of Dima Yakovlev did not go unnoticed by the media, but despite this, Harrison refused to talk to journalists. In 2009a year after the Russian Foreign Ministry threatened to ban the adoption of Russian orphans for Americans and the tragedy took on the character of an international scandal, Harrison gave an interview to the Washington Post. In it, he shared that he could not forgive himself, but still asked for forgiveness from the Russians and urged not to punish everyone because of his mistake. Talk of a ban subsided - the case took a new turn only three years later.

Equally different

When Andrew came home, he had many health problems. The boy needed physical therapy to gain strength - he did not move well, so his new parents taught him to crawl and later walk. For social adaptation, Caitlin and Bob joined a special non-profit organization - FRUA (Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption - Families with children adopted in Russia and Ukraine). Together with other Wisconsin families who have adopted children from Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet Union, they gather on weekends for parties, celebrate the New Year with Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden, organize fairs and other events. According to parents, it is important not so much to introduce children to the elements of their native culture, but to each other. And the fact of adoption here is not customary to hide.

In 2006, Bob and Caitlin decided to adopt a second child - and again flew to Russia, only in a different region.

“The second time we were here, we took pictures of all the FRUA kids to give to the local judge—many of the kids she remembered and was very happy to see they were doing well,” says Caitlin.

The girl Emily was brought to Wisconsin when she was two years old, so she already spoke Russian and needed to be retrained. But, she said, in the fourth grade, she remembered the echoes of her native language when she came across a lullaby on YouTube, which Russian and Ukrainian celebrities sang together. She immediately remembered the motive and ran to sing it to her father in the kitchen, which surprised him a lot.

– She always started crying when I wasn't around because she was used to having a woman around her. Andrew is more quiet and has always had fewer friends. Emily is very athletic and much more outgoing, so it's easier with her in a way. Now she is thirteen, and, of course, it is more difficult with her, but thirteen-year-old girls are always difficult and sheer drama. But all these are the problems of ordinary teenagers, - Caitlin describes the nature of the children.

Emily and Andrew look and act like typical Americans. Andrew is wearing a Milwaukee Brewers baseball team shirt - he plays baseball himself. Emily does not share his passion and prefers to play regular football, which in American English is called "soccer". But when it comes to plans for the future, they, like ordinary teenagers, face exactly the same problems as their peers in Russia. Andrew plans to enter the largest university in Wisconsin - Green Bay, which is located one and a half thousand kilometers from home, but he has not yet thought about who he wants to work. As his father says, “The purpose of going to university is to think about it.” But Emily, at thirteen, has already made up her mind and is seriously planning to become a veterinarian.

The guys admit that they like visiting Kirov even more than Moscow, precisely because the city is very similar to Milwaukee: the same size, pace of life and the same nature. Needless to say, which team the family supported when they watched the World Cup.

Asked how they imagine their life without adoption, Andrew says that he would live on the street, and Emily that she would wander around the city in search of her mother.

A crack that turned into an abyss

People often talk about Dima Yakovlev's law in a completely different context, outside of the tragedy with the child left in the parking lot. Officially, the law, adopted at the end of 2012, is called the federal law "On Measures to Influence Persons Involved in Violations of Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms, Rights and Freedoms of Citizens of the Russian Federation" and was developed as a response to the American Magnitsky Act. The latter imposed personal sanctions in the form of a ban on entry into the United States and the blocking of American assets for Russian officials and security officials involved, according to the West, in the death in a pre-trial detention center of Russian auditor Sergei Magnitsky, who exposed corruption schemes for tax refunds and large-scale embezzlement of budget funds.

In fact, these sanctions were one of the first cracks in seemingly relatively stable Russian-American relations. In addition to the ban on adoption, the retaliatory law included a ban on US-funded non-profit organizations, and was widely criticized at the discussion stage - by officials, journalists and ordinary citizens.

The crack in the relationship has widened and is now an abyss. So, if in 2013, according to VTsIOM, the law was supported by 54% of respondents, then in 2017 this share was 71%. About a third of supporters explain their position by the fact that "our children are being bullied in the USA."

Return

When asked what the changes in international relations looked like on the other side of the ocean, Caitlin answers:

– I think that people who visit Russia cannot think badly of Russians. But, perhaps, ordinary Americans are afraid of Russians. You have bad myths about Americans, we have bad myths about Russians. I don’t know if it’s worth talking about this, but it seems to me that the Americans are afraid of Putin. Before him, Russia was a much more open country, and now everyone is again in fear.

In 2018, Nicole's family contacted a travel agency in Milwaukee to travel back to Russia through the TIES program, which was specifically designed for families with adopted children. The route is planned in such a way as to visit both capitals and the region where the child comes from. If possible, find the remaining relatives.

So, Andrew found a brother who lives in Kirov, where they met and are going to continue to maintain relations. In total, 22 such families flew to Russia this year under the TIES program.

Asked what he thinks about Dima Yakovlev's law, Bob answers:

– I think that children should be given a chance for a better life in any country. Not only in Russia. If US kids can get a better life in France or Poland, then they should be given a chance. I understand the concern of the Russian government, but it's all just politics - children should have opportunities.

“When we have children from Russia, we come back to Russia,” Caitlin adds. - I think there can be no better way to improve relations between countries.

Photo: Konstantin Ryakin

Related

3786 3

"The son calls his own mother aunt." A single father about how he took on the role of a mother and never regretted it

the procedure and legal consequences of adoption, what is needed, conditions, documents, the consent of the child, the rights and obligations of adoptive parents

Tamara Skokova

creates good for the family

Author profile

As of the beginning of 2021, 37 thousand children were brought up in Russian orphanages.

In the understanding of many people, "to adopt a child" means to take an orphan from an orphanage. However, from a legal point of view, everything is not so simple. Today in Russia there are several forms of family placement for children, and they are regulated differently by law.

I worked in the guardianship and guardianship authorities for 17 years, 14 of them as a head. In the article I will tell you who and under what conditions has the right to take a child into a family, what documents are required for adoption and how the procedure takes place.

What is adoption of a child

In Russia, there are several forms of placement of orphans and children left without parental care. Federal legislation establishes three main ones: adoption, guardianship and guardianship, foster family. At the regional level, others may be provided, but so far this is only patronage. Briefly describe how they differ from each other.

Custody and guardianship. The most common form of placement for children: often used as an intermediate step on the path to adoption.

Guardianship Act

Guardianship is established for children under 14 years of age, and guardianship for minors from 14 to 18 years of age. Guardians and trustees have all the rights and obligations of a legal representative in matters of upbringing, education, maintenance of the child and responsibility for him.

Unlike the guardian, the guardian is liable for harm caused by the ward. He is also obliged to make all transactions on behalf of the ward, except for those that the child can conclude personally: for example, these are donation transactions when a minor receives some thing or money as a gift.

Art. 1073, paragraph 2 of Art. 26 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation

The trustee usually must give consent to the transactions of the ward, with a few exceptions: for example, minors aged 14 to 18 years have the right to independently manage their income or make small household transactions.

Art. 12.1 of the Federal Law on state benefits to citizens with children

p. 3 art. 38.1 of the Social Code of the Belgorod Region

Monthly, the guardian and trustee are paid an allowance for the maintenance of an orphan child. Its size depends on the region: for example, in the Belgorod region, where I live, in 2022 the allowance is 10,310 R.

In addition, guardians are entitled to a one-time payment from the federal budget - 22,472.77 RUR. This amount is set for all guardians from the Russian Federation, regardless of place of residence.

Lump-sum allowance when a child is brought up to a family

If a child is brought up by a guardian or custodian, the biological parents are not released from the obligation to support him and must monthly transfer alimony to his personal account: the amount of alimony is determined by the court.

Art. 148, paragraph 2 of Art. 71 SK RF

At the same time, the guardian decides whether the biological parents will be able to communicate with the child, but if the child is 10 years old, then his opinion will also be taken into account.

Art. 148.1 SK RF

Foster family. This form of arrangement is similar to guardianship, but in addition to child support and a lump sum payment, foster parents also receive remuneration for their work.

Art. 152 SK RF

The amount depends on the region of residence. For example, in 2022 in Moscow it is 18,150 R, and if a family accepts a child with a disability, then the amount of the payment will be higher - 30,885 R.

Clause 2.5.1 of Appendix 1 to the Decree of the Government of Moscow on establishing the amount of social payments for 2022

In the Belgorod Region, foster parents are paid 8288 R per month for the first child taken into the family, and for each subsequent adopted child the amount is increased by 20%. If a family accepts up to four children, the remuneration is paid to one of the parents, five or more children to both. In rural areas, there is still a monthly supplement of 25% of the remuneration due to foster parents. Foster parents have more privileges than guardians: they are provided with a 50% discount on utility bills, fuel, gas, telephone.

paragraph 5 art. 148.1 of the RF IC

Law of the Belgorod Region on Foster Family

Law of the Belgorod Region on Amendments to Article 2 of the Law of the Belgorod Region “On Foster Family”

The seniority can be accrued to both one parent and both - it all depends on who has concluded a civil law contract with guardianship.

Art. 7 Federal Law on compulsory pension insurance

The foster child and biological parents can communicate. Foster parents have the right to prevent this only if communication does not meet the interests of the child.

Section 5, Art. 148.1 SK RF

Patronage . Foster care is a relatively new form of family structure, in which the rights and obligations to protect the rights of children are delimited between the foster caregiver and the guardianship and guardianship authority. Laws supporting patronage have been adopted in 42 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, for example, in Moscow, Vladimir, Kaluga, Ivanovo and Kaliningrad regions.

Laws and regulations on patronage of the Moscow, Vladimir, Kaluga, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad regions shelter.

The child is transferred to foster care under a fixed-term contract. The period of stay in the family is set individually: it can be a short period - up to six months or a long one - over six months. The maximum term is until the minor reaches the age of eighteen.

For a long time, a child is placed in a foster family only if, for some reason, it is not possible to transfer the child to a guardian, custodian or foster family. In this case, the foster family receives a monthly allowance from the state for the maintenance of the child. The amount is similar to that allocated for guardianship and guardianship. But the right to receive a one-time allowance when a child is adopted into a family does not apply to foster parents.

Foster care gives the child the opportunity to prepare for an independent adult life - this is difficult to do in an orphanage. But this form of arrangement has one big drawback - children often become attached to new families and parting with it causes them stress. With all this, the child does not lose touch with the blood family: he can maintain relations with his parents, if they are not deprived of parental rights and do not pose a danger to him, brothers, sisters and other people significant to him.

/list/sos-dd/

9 uncomfortable questions about orphans

Adoption. The Family Code of the Russian Federation considers this form of placement of children a priority: only it allows you to most effectively ensure both the interests of the child and the interests of foster parents.

Adoptive parents completely replace the child's parents. Here there is no such temporary nature of upbringing as in guardianship, guardianship or when transferring a child to a foster family. The state does not provide adoptive parents with any special assistance, with the exception of social support measures established in each subject separately, as well as measures that are provided to all families with children on a general basis.

Adoptive parents can change the child's first and last name. For children under one year old, even the date of birth can be changed, but not more than three months from the actual one. This happens in order to ensure the secrecy of the adoption, as well as for other reasons, if the court considers them valid. In my practice, there was such a case: the spouses raised an adopted boy born on September 8, 2007, and then adopted a girl born on July 25, 2007. The adoptive parents asked the court to change the boy's date of birth to July 25, 2007, so that the children could be considered twins. The court granted the request.

Art. 139 SK RF

art. 155 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

In many regions, adoptive parents receive benefits for an adopted child. To apply for it, you must apply to the guardianship authorities at the place of residence. For example, in the Belgorod region, the amount of the allowance depends on how much money was allocated for the monthly maintenance of a child in an orphanage in the current year, the adoptive parent is entitled to 50% of this amount. And in the Stavropol Territory, a monthly allowance for adoptive parents is not provided, but a lump sum payment is made - 150,000 R.

cl. 1 art. 60 of the social code of the Belgorod region

art. 2 of the Law of the Stavropol Territory on the amount and procedure for assigning a lump-sum allowance to adoptive parents

In Moscow, the monthly compensation payment to persons who have adopted or adopted an orphan child or a child left without parental care in the city of Moscow is:

• 18 937 R for each child from 0 to 12 years old who is not a disabled child;
• 25,249Р for each child from 12 to 18 years old who is not a child with a disability;
• R31,561 for each disabled child.

Clause 2.9 of Appendix 1 to the Decree of the Government of Moscow on establishing the amount of social payments for 2022

Also, adoptive parents are entitled to a lump-sum allowance, which is issued for all forms of family placement. From February 1, 2022, this is 20,472.77 R. But in the case of the adoption of a disabled child, a child over seven years old, as well as children who are brothers or sisters, the allowance will be higher - 156,428. 66 R. To receive a payment, you need to apply to the Pension Fund at the place of residence.

One-time allowance when a child is placed in a family

What is the difference between the forms of placement of a child in a family

Form	Who is considered the child's parents	What rights do caregivers have	What are the duties of caregivers	How the government supports child caregivers
Adoption	Adoptive parents	The rights of adoptive parents are identical to those of natural parents	Obligations of adoptive parents are identical to those of natural parents	Adoptive parents receive payments provided by the regional authorities. Also, adoptive parents receive the right to use maternity capital, if it was not used by the birth mother, and all child benefits in accordance with age. A child who at the time of adoption has the right to a pension and benefits due to the death of his parents retains this right after adoption
Custody and guardianship	Blood family	The guardian or custodian has the right to raise the child and act as his legal representative	Guardians and trustees are obliged to take care of the maintenance of the wards, to provide them with care and treatment, to protect their rights and interests. At the same time, biological parents are not released from the obligation to pay alimony	Guardians and custodians receive a one-time allowance upon adoption of a child into a family, allowance for the maintenance of a ward, alimony payments, survivor's pension, if it is due to the child
Foster family	Blood family	Similar rights as under guardianship	Similar duties as under guardianship and guardianship	The foster family receives a one-time allowance for the adoption of a child into a family, a monthly remuneration to the foster parent for the performance of duties and an allowance for the maintenance of a child in the guardian's family, depending on the legislation of the region, benefits for utilities. The period while the child is in the family is counted towards the foster parents in the insurance period
Patronage	Blood family	Determine the daily routine of the pupil, resolve current issues of the pupil's life in accordance with the plan for the protection of the rights of the child and the concluded agreement	Raise a child, protect his rights and legitimate interests, take care of his health and development	The amount of payment for a foster caregiver is determined by a fixed-term employment contract of the region. The monthly payment to foster care providers for the maintenance of an orphan child or a child left without parental care is established by each region separately

Adoption

Who is considered the parents of the child

adoptive parents

What rights arise in people who provide the child's care

Rights of the adoptive parents

What are the obligations to ensure care for child

The obligations of adoptive parents are identical to those of natural parents

How the state supports persons providing care for a child

Adoptive parents receive benefits provided by the regional authorities. Also, adoptive parents receive the right to use maternity capital, if it was not used by the birth mother, and all child benefits in accordance with age. A child who at the time of adoption is entitled to a pension and benefits due to the death of his parents retains this right after adoption

Custody and guardianship

Who is considered the child's parents

Blood family

What rights do caregivers have

A guardian or custodian has the right to raise a child and act as his legal representative.

What obligations do persons who provide care for a child have? At the same time, biological parents are not released from the obligation to pay alimony

How the state supports caregivers

Guardians and caregivers receive a one-time allowance for the adoption of a child into a family, support for the maintenance of a ward, alimony payments, survivor's pension, if the child is entitled to it

Foster family

3

3 Who is considered the child's parents

Blood family

What rights do caregivers have

Similar rights as in guardianship and guardianship

What are the obligations of persons providing care for a child

Similar obligations as in guardianship and custody

How the state supports persons providing care for a child for the performance of duties and allowance for the maintenance of a child in the family of the guardian, depending on the legislation of the region, benefits for utilities. The period while the child is in the family is counted towards the foster parents in the insurance period

Foster care

Who is considered the child’s parents

Blood family

What rights do caregivers have

Determine the child’s daily routine, resolve current issues of the child’s life in accordance with the contract and the child’s rights protection plan

What are the responsibilities of those who care for a child

Raise a child, protect his rights and legitimate interests, take care of his health and development

How the state supports child caregivers

The amount of payment for a foster caregiver is determined by the region's fixed-term employment contract. Monthly payment to foster care for the maintenance of an orphan or a child left without parental care is established by each region separately

Who can adopt a child

Married couples or single adults can adopt a child: if citizens are not married to each other, they cannot jointly adopt the same child.

Art. 128 SK RF

Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation on approval of the rules for the transfer of children for adoption

Another important condition is that a man or woman must reach the age of majority, and the age difference between the adopter and the child must be at least 16 years. But if the adoptive parents are a married couple, and the age difference is less than the established norm with only one of them, then the guardianship department may, as an exception, give consent.

Other requirements for an adopter:

1. Legal capacity: own and spouse, if any.
2. No conviction for a grave and especially grave crime.
3. A health condition that allows you to fulfill parental responsibilities: for example, a child will not be allowed to be adopted by patients with tuberculosis or people with disabilities of the first group.
4. Home ownership or rental.
5. Substitute parents have a school leaving certificate.
6. No information about deprivation or restriction of parental rights, cancellation of adoption, removal from the duties of a guardian.

If there are several people who want to adopt a child, his relatives will have the priority right, but taking into account the interests of the adoptee: they are expressed in trusting relationships, attachment to relatives, long-term cohabitation.

Community 24.05.22

How is the secrecy of adoption protected in Russia?

Next, I will tell you what documents future parents will need to collect and how the adoption procedure goes.

Step 1

As a rule, there is an adoption specialist in each district municipality. He can work both at the education department and at the department of social protection of the population: this needs to be clarified in the social protection or education authorities at the place of residence.

In some cities, for example, in St. Petersburg, Vladimir, Krasnoyarsk, special adoption and guardianship centers have been created, where future adoptive parents are assisted in paperwork, passing medical examinations, and selecting children. Such an integrated approach greatly simplifies and speeds up the entire procedure.

Center for Family and Children Assistance, St. Petersburg

Center for the Development of Family Forms of Education, Krasnoyarsk

Center for Psychological, Pedagogical, Medical and Social Assistance, Vladimir

At the first visit, candidates for adoptive parents should simply talk with an employee of the guardianship authority is, in fact, an acquaintance. The task of a specialist is to listen to you, to find out the motive for adoption, to understand how fully you understand the responsibility of such a step, whether your housing, family and material conditions meet the requirements of the law.

The guardian must explain your future rights and obligations in relation to the adopted child, the procedure for the adoption procedure, answer your questions, and issue the necessary forms, referrals and a list of documents. Here it is:

1. A copy of the adoptive parent's marriage certificate, if he is not married, then a copy of the birth certificate: sometimes the court asks him to see if the adoptive parent's surname has changed.
2. Passport copies.
3. Original and copy of the medical certificate for each of the adoptive parents.
4. Certificate of criminal record or non-conviction.
5. When a child is adopted by one of the spouses, the consent of the other spouse or a document confirming that the spouses have terminated family relations and have not lived together for more than a year.
6. Certificate from the place of work on the position held and salary, or a copy of the income statement or other document confirming the income of the adoptive parent or the family of adoptive parents.
7. Documents confirming the right to use the residential premises or the ownership of the residential premises.
8. Certificate of completion of training for persons wishing to adopt a child left without parental care into their family.
9. Curriculum vitae (needed only for the guardianship authority).

The main part of the documents is required to obtain an opinion from the guardianship authorities on the possibility of being an adoptive parent. Later, they will also be needed to apply for adoption to the court. Documents for the child will be prepared by guardianship officials.

Step 2

I recommend that you start collecting documents from this certificate. Since the request is sent to the Main Information Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a response will have to wait from a week to a month.

An application for issuing a certificate can be filled out at the MFC or independently on the public services portal.

/guide/ne-sudim/

Why do you need a certificate of non-conviction

Step 3

People without serious health problems can take a child from an orphanage.

The list of diseases preventing adoption includes:

1. Tuberculosis - patients of the 2nd and 3rd dispensary groups.
2. Infectious diseases.
3. Mental illnesses.
4. Drug and alcohol addiction, substance abuse.
5. Grade 3 and 4 malignancies.
6. First disability group.

List of diseases that make it impossible to adopt a child

A referral form for a medical examination is issued by the guardianship and guardianship authorities along with a list of documents for adoption.

It will not be possible to pass an examination in private clinics: according to the law, only state medical institutions are engaged in this, and free of charge. The medical report will be valid for six months from the date of its approval by the chief physician or the head of the polyclinic.

Medical examination procedure and conclusion form

What is included in the medical examination - public services website

To avoid misunderstandings, immediately after issuing the completed form, you must carefully check whether everything is in order with the execution. In particular, the conclusion of each doctor must be certified by the round official seal of the institution.

Step 4

Applicants for adoptive parents must prove to the specialists of guardianship authorities the ability to financially support the child.

To do this, you will need to provide a certificate from the place of work on salary and position or copies of the income declaration certified by the tax office. The certificate is prepared in free form indicating the salary and other payments for 12 months.

/prava/opecunam/

What rights do guardians have

Step 5

CV is only needed for guardianship. It should reflect the main points of the life path: education, marriages and divorces, labor activity. Based on this information, the specialist judges the stability of the financial and family situation of the candidate for adoptive parents, as well as his experience of communicating with children. An autobiography should not be too voluminous: one or two A4 pages is enough. The document can be either written by hand or printed on a computer.

CV must include:

1. Personal information. Surname, name, patronymic; date and place of birth; information about parents or persons replacing them; information about sisters, brothers, if any; place of permanent registration and address of actual residence, if it differs from the address of registration.
2. Education. Basic education - years of study, school number and city where one is located. Higher education (if any) - years of study, name of the university, specialty.
3. Professional activity. Beginning of work experience - place of work and profession; listing periods of work and the name of employers, positions. The last place of employment is included with an indication of the position and salary; awards or events that positively characterize the candidate.
4. Marital status. Family composition: spouse, children (last name, first name, patronymic, date of birth, occupation). Data on previous marriages and divorces (if any): information about spouses and children born in these marriages; the facts of changing the surname (if any) indicating the reason and the previous surname.
5. Personal hobbies and additional information. Creative, sports, achievements in them; participation in public organizations, volunteer movement, awards and promotions; experience working with children or helping elderly relatives.

It is also necessary to briefly explain the reason for contacting the guardianship department.

Step 6

The list of required documents for adoption includes a certificate of completion of a program of psychological, pedagogical and legal training, or a school for future parents.

Art. 127 SK RF

Only close relatives of the child, namely grandparents, older full and half brothers and sisters, stepfathers and stepmothers, as well as those who are already a guardian, guardian or adoptive parent, can not be trained.

At school, prospective adoptive parents are helped to understand whether they are ready for this serious step and to figure out what form of guardianship will suit them; introduce the legislation, talk about the psychological difficulties that children and adults face both during the period of adaptation and after.

The length of study varies from school to school: a course can last from 56 to 80 academic hours. At the end, a final certification is carried out: after it, future adoptive parents will be issued a certificate of completion of training.

/child-custody/

I took three children from the orphanage

You can study for free at any school, regardless of the place of registration.

Step 7

When all the documents on the list are collected and transferred to the guardianship authorities, the adoptive parents will be assigned an inspection check of living conditions.

The guardian must inspect the housing and assess whether the child can live there. If other people live in an apartment or house in addition to the adoptive parents, guardianship workers will take an interest in their state of health and the relationship that connects them with the candidates for adoptive parents.

For verification, potential adoptive parents provide:

1. An extract from the USRN confirming the ownership of housing or a contract of social or commercial employment.
2. Information on the number of residents registered in the housing area.

/guide/get-egrn/

How to get an extract from the USRN

Adoptive parents are not required to provide any other documents other than the above. The conclusion on the possibility of being a candidate for adoptive parents and registration takes place within ten days after checking the housing conditions.

What should be the place of residence of the adoptive parent. The place of residence of a person wishing to adopt a child does not have to coincide with the place of his registration. But it is necessary to have a permanent registration. If the candidate is renting an apartment, he must provide a lease agreement for more than one year. If living with relatives - a written agreement between them for the right to use.

A room in a hostel or apartment cannot be considered a permanent place of residence, no matter how comfortable it may be.

What should be the living conditions. In order for the child to live safely for his health and development, the living space of the adoptive parent must comply with sanitary standards. The main criterion is the availability of communal amenities: water supply, sewerage, central heating, gas supply, and so on.

Guardianship authorities can evaluate this without involving SES, BTI and other third-party organizations.

There are no federal restrictions on the size of housing for adoptive parents - the issue is at the mercy of the regions. For example, in Moscow, there should be at least 18 m² per person. But even when this rule is not observed, the final decision remains with the court: if the adoption is in the interests of the child, permission can be given to families with a smaller apartment area.

Art. 50 ZhK RF

Law on amendments to the RF IC

Step 8

To select a child, candidates can apply, at their choice, to any municipality in whose territory the orphanage is located, to a regional operator that is in each subject of the Russian Federation or in the Federal Data Bank on orphans and children left without parental care. But the law does not prohibit the independent search for a child in orphanages. You can also search for a child before the candidate receives a conclusion on the possibility of being an adoptive parent, but they will not give a referral to view the child until that moment.

Federal Child Data Bank

When and which child can be adopted. A child who has the status of an orphan, or a child left without parental care, can be adopted at least a day before his majority.

Requirements for adoptive parents do not depend on the age of the child they want to take into the family. But if the case concerns a baby, whom the mother abandoned in the maternity hospital, then from her, as a legal representative, an additional statement of consent to adoption will be required.

Community 04/26/22

Is it possible to adopt an adult?

What are the health groups of children during adoption. Health groups is a scale that determines the state of the body and the development of the child. This information is provided to adoptive parents by the regional operator of the database of orphans.

There are five health groups:

1. The child is absolutely healthy.
2. Practically healthy children without chronic diseases, but with some functional disorders. For example, children who have had severe and moderate infectious diseases, children with a general delay in physical development without endocrine pathology - short stature, low or overweight. The same group includes frequently ill children and children with noticeable consequences of injuries or operations.
3. Children with mild treatable pathologies and chronic diseases with rare exacerbations who are in remission at the time of the examination.
4. Children with chronic diseases, injuries or operations that limit the child's life or require supportive care.
5. Children with disabilities.

Pathologies in children are not an obstacle to adoption. However, before you take a child with a complex diagnosis, you need to soberly assess the strengths and capabilities. It is better to consult with specialists in advance on how to organize the process of education. You can also discuss this topic with foster parents whose families have children with similar diagnoses.

In reality, completely healthy orphans are rare. Children of the 1st-2nd health group, as a rule, are babies, who are abandoned in the maternity hospital by very young mothers. Basically, children of the 3rd group are taken to families, and orphans of groups 4-5 more often remain in children's homes.

/plastic-lids-help-kids/

How I became a foster mother to three girls

How is the meeting with the child. After the child is found, prospective adoptive parents go to the guardianship to which the specific institution belongs, or to the operator of the regional data bank through which the information was received, clarify the details and request a referral for a face-to-face visit.

The referral is valid for 10 days, during this time, future parents can see the child one or more times, talk with his caregivers, pediatrician, psychologist. A conversation with the institution's specialists takes place before meeting the child. If, after this conversation, the failed parents turn around and leave, the child will not be traumatized by failure.

The number of referrals issued is not limited by law, that is, the search continues until the future adopter finds "his" child. A child who is ten years old will also have to express his opinion: agree in writing to a family placement or refuse it.

Art. 132 SK RF

At the end of the ten-day period, the candidate for adoptive parents will have to write on the referral one of the words that can radically change their future life: “I refuse” or “I agree”. If it was possible to find contact with the child and the consent in the guardianship authorities was recorded, the next step is to file an application with the court.

Step 9

This is a rather formal process: you need to come to the court during office hours, submit the documents according to the list, get their list in your hands and wait for the notification of the acceptance of the case for proceedings, setting the court date. You don't need to pay state duty.

sign. 14 p.1 art. 333.36 TC RF

By law, the period for consideration of an application should not exceed two months from the date of its acceptance in the office. But the judges, as a rule, schedule a hearing for the next possible day.

How is the court session. Adoption cases are handled in a special manner. An adoptive parent, a guardian, a prosecutor and a child, if he is over 14 years old, must necessarily participate in the process.

/prava/prava-deti/

Rights of children under 18 years of age

Usually, a court decision enters into force 10 days after it is issued: only from this time do mutual rights and obligations arise between the adoptive parent and the child. If there are special circumstances and there are no objections on the merits of the case from all the participants, the judge may decide on the immediate execution of the decision: for example, if something threatens the life and health of the child and he needs urgent hospitalization.

An adopted baby can be taken home immediately after a positive adoption decision has been made by the court. At the same time, the maternity hospital must issue a postpartum sick leave from the date the decision enters into force when the baby reaches the age of 70 days, and when adopting two or more children - 110 days. A sick leave is needed to apply for maternity leave at the work of one of the adoptive parents.

Art. 157 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation

Step 10

To do this, you need to contact the registry office: they will issue an adoption certificate and a new birth certificate of the child.

ch. V Federal Law on acts of civil status

The child is registered at the place of residence of the adoptive parents.

When an adoption can be canceled and parental rights can be terminated

Most often, cancellation occurs due to the guilty behavior of the adoptive parents. For example, if they shirk parental responsibilities, abuse their rights, abuse a child, abuse alcohol or take drugs.

A claim for the annulment of an adoption may be filed by the adoptive parents themselves, the guardianship and guardianship authorities, the prosecutor and the child if he has reached the age of 14.

Art. 142 SK RF

However, the court has the right to cancel the adoption even if there are no violations on the part of the parents.

Such cases include the identification of hereditary developmental abnormalities in a child that make it difficult or impossible to bring up. As a rule, when receiving an expert medical opinion on an adoptee, the future adopter confirms in writing his consent to familiarize himself with the diagnosis of the child and the history of the mother. If the violation was not listed in the document and appeared later, or the adopter for some reason was not notified under the signature about the presence of a pathology in the child, the adoption may be canceled.

/guide/lishenie-parent/

Why they can be deprived of parental rights

But in practice, I came across the fact that adoptive parents became attached to children and even when a serious illness was detected, they left them in the family.

Briefly about adoption

1. Before adopting a child, you need to analyze your motivations, weigh the pros and cons.
2. When visiting guardianship authorities and other authorities, be sure to ask and write down the last name, first name, patronymic of the specialist, as well as his position. You are required to provide this information. This way you will show that you are competent in matters of communication with officials and are able to appeal against illegal actions.

   ---

   Learn more

   • 
     Red bumps under eyes baby
   • 
     How to read with your child sims 4
   • 
     Green stuff coming out of eyes
   • 
     How do you lose custody of your child
   • 
     Treat cradle cap in toddlers
   • 
     Pregnancy timing calculator
   • 
     How to restrain a child safely
   • 
     Face skin turning black
   • 
     Drops of blood during pregnancy
   • 
     How often should one month old poop
   • 
     When can you cut a newborn's nails